By Roscoe Nance; photograph by Rodney Adams, All-Pro Photo


On the surface, the Delaware State volleyball team’s 10-16 record is nothing to get excited about. But a look behind those numbers explains why first-year Hornets coach Dr. Bruce Atkinson has high hopes for his squad.
 
Those 10 wins are five times as many as the Hornets had all of last season and just two shy of their total for the previous six seasons, and they are tied with Maryland Eastern Shore for the fourth place in the MEAC Northern Division (UMES holds the head-to-head tiebreaker because the Hawks won both regular-season meetings).
 
A fourth-place finish would earn Delaware State its first conference tournament berth in a decade.
 
If the MEAC were to award a Most Improved Team trophy, it would hands-down go to Delaware State, which has 13 freshmen on its 16-person roster.
 
“I would say it’s about where we expected to be,” Atkinson said. “We’re so young. You’re going to have a pretty big learning curve not just on the court, but with everything else. Developing the study habits that are required at the college level versus high school, being able to adjust to traveling and still being able to keep up with your studying while on the road. Most of them probably watched more game tape the first week than they did their entire high school careers. They had to learn how to watch game tape and break that down and identify what to look for. It’s such a big learning curve. The upside is really, really high.”
 
Atkinson credits the players for their willingness to buy into the change in culture that he says has emphasized their work ethic and commitment to improving.
 
“They have a strong desire to get things back on track,” he said. “They’ve been very receptive to instructions and willing to put in hard work to make changes.”
 
That meant attention to detail and making sure all the little things are done well.
 
“We talked a lot about what our goals were and what would be needed to accomplish those goals, both short-term and long-term,” Atkinson said. “We’ve reminded ourselves of those goals and what needs to be done throughout the season, and we will continue to do so for the next few years. They’ve done a good job keeping focused on what we need to do day to day to be able to achieve our long-term goals.”
 
The Hornets’ goals ran the gamut and included everything from graduation to community service to grade point average. Atkinson went as far as breaking down each of the volleyball skills and going through what a normal match box score would be. From that he came up with team goals for things like kills per set, hitting percentage, assists per set, digs per set and blocks per set. From there, the focus became what needed to change skill-wise to achieve those goals.
 
“We tried to stay focused on the little things,” he said. “We’re hoping that if we continually improve on the little things, the big things will take care of themselves.”
 
Win/loss record wasn’t among the topics of discussion, however.
 
“We wanted to focus on improving the level of our play and let that dictate where we end up,” Atkinson said. “Obviously, we want to get into the conference tournament. That doesn’t seem like a big goal, but when a team hasn’t been in it for a decade, it becomes a big thing. We put that as one of our goals. We broke down the things we need to improve in order to get there.”
 
Atkinson believes the Hornets are on the right track based on their performance in a recent match against four-time defending MEAC champion Howard, even though they lost in straight sets.
 
“We went in not knowing what to expect,” he said. “We went in thinking, ‘This is going to be an extremely difficult match and hopefully we don’t get blown off the court.’ When we left, even though we lost in three, I felt we’re not quite to their level, but we’re not far away. We’re within grasp. They’re a little more consistent than we are at this point. They have a few more offensive options. They are a quality team. Even though we lost, I left the match feeling we’re heading in the right direction. The things we talked about after the game weren’t what we did wrong, but what we need to do to get to that level.”
 
Atkinson says middle backer Sydney Armbrister’s leadership has been a key factor in the Hornets’ success. Armbrister graduated last spring and actually went through Senior Night. Atkinson asked her to return and play as a graduate student; it’s a move that has paid major dividends, as Armbrister has had a calming effect on her younger teammates.
 
“We’re fortunate to have Sydney Armbrister,” Atkinson said. “She’s a great team leader.”
 
Freshman libero Jasmal Cruz has been a steadying influence defensively. But Atkinson says the most impressive aspect of the team has been its versatility and depth. The Hornets have experienced a rash of injuries, forcing him to juggle the lineups. Atkinson estimates he used a half dozen different starting combinations.
 
“A number of them have played positions they’ve never played before,” he said, “and ones we were not anticipating getting a lot of playing time were thrown into starting roles, and they really stepped up to the challenge. When I look down the list, you can pick anybody on the roster and they have contributed significantly to the success we’ve had this year.”